Was Joe Biden a good president?

I can share some factual context on Biden's presidency, but I should note upfront that "good" is inherently subjective—it depends on your values, priorities, and how you weigh different outcomes. I can't give you an objective verdict, but I can outline notable aspects of his record and let you weigh them.Whether Biden was a "good" president really depends on your political values and which issues you weigh most heavily—it's not something that can be settled as an objective fact. Here's a balanced rundown of his record so you can judge for yourself:

Notable achievements often cited by supporters:

•The Biden White House shepherded several consequential laws through narrow Democratic majorities: the American Rescue Plan, a $1.9 trillion COVID relief package enacted in March 2021; a $1.2 trillion bipartisan infrastructure law funding roads, bridges, rail and broadband; and steps to enable Medicare drug-price negotiations with initial drugs announced in 2023.

•In his first year in office, employers added 6.6 million jobs, an all-time record for a president's initial 12 months in office. In January 2023, the country's unemployment rate dropped to its lowest point in more than half a century.

•Major non-economic actions included confirmation of Ketanji Brown Jackson to the Supreme Court, passage of the Respect for Marriage Act, enactment of the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act on gun safety, and expansions of veterans' benefits through the PACT Act.

•On foreign policy, Biden designated Kenya as the United States' first major non-NATO ally in Sub-Saharan Africa, and his administration elevated African representation on the global stage, successfully championing the African Union's admission to the G20.

Significant criticisms and challenges:

•Despite the economic gains, public sentiment around the administration's economic achievements ranged from underwhelming to overt hostility, with polls showing more than half disapproving of his handling of the economy.

•His overall approval ratings were persistently weak. His average job approval rating of 42% across his term suggests he would be ranked well below average by the US public. By the end, just 35.6 percent approved of Biden's performance as of January 13, 2025, giving him a net disapproval rating of 21.5 percent.

•Public perception of his tenure overall was negative: Americans broadly viewed Biden's four years in office more as a failure than as a success, with even fewer rating his performance positively on immigration (31%), foreign affairs (32%) or the economy (33%).

•Compared to other recent presidents, his standing was notably lower: that lags far behind two presidencies largely seen as successful: Bill Clinton's (68% considered it a success in 2000) and Barack Obama's (65% rated it a success in early 2017), though Biden's time in office stands above George W. Bush's, which 68% of Americans judged as more of a failure than a success.

•His decision to seek reelection and later withdraw drew criticism: Biden's refusal to withdraw from the presidential campaign looked desperate—even when significant donors and Democrats refused to support him, he stayed in the race, but his poor debate performance finally ended his re-election ambitions, tarnishing his legacy.

•Looking ahead, 54% of U.S. adults expect that Biden will go down in history as a below-average or poor president, while 26% say he will be remembered as an average president and 19% as outstanding or above average.

Bottom line: The historical assessment is genuinely mixed and contested. Biden's presidency combined tangible policy accomplishments—pandemic relief, infrastructure investment, judicial appointments, drug-pricing steps, and civil-rights advances—with pronounced vulnerabilities in crisis management, inflation control and immigration; proponents emphasize durable institutional changes, while critics stress operational failures and electoral consequences.

If you're trying to form your own judgment, it might help to think about which specific policy areas matter most to you (economy, foreign policy, judicial appointments, immigration, etc.) since Biden's record looks quite different depending on which lens you apply.

Citations (12)

1factually.coLow provenance
What Did Joe Biden Accomplish As President?
Source excerpt: “The Biden White House shepherded several consequential laws and initiatives through narrow Democratic majorities: the American Rescue Plan, a $1.9 tri...”
2theweek.comNews and mediaquality 0.64
What did Joe Biden accomplish as president? | The Week
Source excerpt: “In his first year in office, employers added 6.6 million jobs, an all-time record, per · CNN, for a president's initial 12 months in office. ”
3theweek.comNews and mediaquality 0.64
What did Joe Biden accomplish as president? | The Week
Source excerpt: “In January 2023, the country's · unemployment rate dropped to its lowest point in more than half a century. ”
4factually.coLow provenance
What are the major achievements of the Biden administr...
Source excerpt: “The analyses catalogue notable non‑economic actions: confirmation of Ketanji Brown Jackson to the Supreme Court, hundreds of federal judicial appointm...”
5ucsb.eduAcademic
Administration FACT SHEET: The Biden-Harris Administration Record | The American Presidency Project
Source excerpt: “In a symbol of the close and growing relationship between the United States and Kenya, President Biden designated Kenya as the United States' first ma...”
6theweek.comNews and mediaquality 0.64
What did Joe Biden accomplish as president? | The Week
Source excerpt: “In spite of Biden's robust gains, public sentiment around the administration's economic achievements has ranged from underwhelming to overt hostility....”
7port.ac.ukAcademic
Joe Biden’s legacy: four successes and four failures | University of Portsmouth
Source excerpt: “His average job approval rating of 42% across his term suggests he would be ranked well below average by the US public right now. ”
8newsweek.comNews and mediaquality 0.82
Joe Biden’s Approval Rating Hits Record Low - Newsweek
Source excerpt: “According to FiveThirtyEight's analysis of polls, just 35.6 percent approval of Biden's performance as of January 13, while 57.1 percent dis...”
9cnn.comNews and mediaquality 0.66
CNN Poll: Biden leaves office with his approval rating matching the lowest of his term | CNN Politics
Source excerpt: “Americans broadly view Biden’s four years in office more as a failure than as a success, with his administration doing little to turn around persisten...”
10cnn.comNews and mediaquality 0.66
CNN Poll: Biden leaves office with his approval rating matching the lowest of his term | CNN Politics
Source excerpt: “That lags far behind two presidencies largely seen as successful: Bill Clinton’s (68% considered it a success in 2000) and Barack Obama’s (65% rated i...”
11port.ac.ukAcademic
Joe Biden’s legacy: four successes and four failures | University of Portsmouth
Source excerpt: “He was rated at 39% in December – exactly the same as his ... Biden’s refusal to withdraw from the presidential campaign looked desperate. Even when ...”
12gallup.comCompanies
Presidential Approval Ratings — Joe Biden
Source excerpt: “... Fifty-four percent of U.S. adults expect that Joe Biden will go down in history as a below-average or poor president, while 26% say he will be rem...”